I have to say that Ursula's travel log is awesome - I didn't take enough photos to do a repeat.

The DD's and I took a 3 day, 1230 mile round trip to Mackey, Idaho to stand on the line. We started by driving across a corner of the Great Basin to Twin Falls ID. The desert is incredibly green this year. We saw one herd of Prong-horned Antelope but they were in the ditch beside the road and we were driving 70 mph. The views were awesome but we worried about rain on the big day.


We had heard that all infrastructure would be overwhelmed so not to count on finding food or gas. I drive a hybrid and we brought enough food for the whole trip so no great restaurant photos. As it turned out, there was no gas or food shortage.

We woke up early Monday morning to drive the 125 miles to our viewing destination - there was no one on the road at 5:30am. The minute the sun started rising, we knew we had a problem: The wind had shifted during the night and we were driving into the smoke from whatever fire is currently burning in Oregon or Montana.


We expected to run into the hoards of other viewers any second but never found them. We settled in at the parking area for the trailhead on Mt. Borah - it was 9am. The eclipse was starting at 10:15 so I assumed others would come but they didn't. I could see 10 other cars in the area. We got to know our neighbors: a couple from Arizona, 3 couples from Southern California and a cute Taiwanese couple from Ithaca, NY. The young man was a PhD student from Cornell majoring in Planetary Sciences. DD#1 and the student had a great time talking to one another as he was very interested in the Martian Lander project (they did the testing and training in Craters of the Moon about 25 miles away) and DD had worked on that project while getting her Master's at Idaho State University.

A side story: The Taiwanese couple had flown into Salt Lake City and driven to Mackey. They had rented a car in advance and paid for it with a Debit card. When they went to pick up the car, the clerk told them there had been a mistake as they didn't accept Debit cards as payment. The young couple spent the next two hours on the bus looking for a rental car.

Anyway... views from our parking lot.



And some of the wildlife:



Finally, the moment we had been waiting for arrived:



It had taken 2 1/2 hrs from Twin Falls to Mackey but on the way back to Twin Falls, we found the traffic - 4 1/2 hrs to go 125 miles.

This is the old Bottle house on I-80 in Imlay, NV, its a little blurry as the speed limit here is 80 mph.


Our trip back to Reno on Tuesday was uneventful until the very end. We got about 30 miles from home and the traffic came to a stop. Fire on the mountain! All the fire fighters were down in town trying to keep the fire from going that way and were totally ignoring the highway. Also saw a couple herds of mustangs moving away from the smoke. It took another hour to go 20 miles. Luckily, DH was living up to his name and made us Clam Pasta and salad for dinner. Yeah! He also took care of our dogs for 3 days while we went off adventuring. What a guy!

How awesome your pictures are!! Perfect Eclipse pictures!!! Wow, thumbs up!
Those fires on the horizon must be scary! Love the side pictures and seeing Wild Mustangs must have been a sight!
I love your report, Daisy!!

Great shots, Daisy!!!

Wow...Wow...WOW!
How different your world is, so open and the variety of life in that sometimes harsh climate is incredible! Your eclipse photos are magazine worthy...wonderful story and pictures..thanks for sharing!

sugarcane said:Wow...Wow...WOW!
How different your world is, so open and the variety of life in that sometimes harsh climate is incredible! Your eclipse photos are magazine worthy...wonderful story and pictures..thanks for sharing!

I was thinking: Wow! Look at those trees! Look! Waterfalls! I feel a bout of claustrophobia coming on...

Also, wanted to add, DD#2 explained to me that the moon is always in a slow 30 day eclipse. That's why my title says 'Eclipses'. DD says the moon was in total eclipse at the same time the sun was.

Stunning photos of the eclipse, Daisy! Thanks for sharing.

I disagree on the Moon being eclipsed, though... A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Moon crosses into Earth's shadow (i.e. the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun). This cannot occur during a Solar Eclipse, as the Moon is between Earth and the Sun.

Edited to update my first explanation of the Moon's behaviour.

The time taken for the Moon to rotate on its axis almost exactly matches the time it takes to orbit the Earth. This means that we effectively always see the same side (also known as being tidally locked). The time taken for the Moon to appear to be in the same position in the sky and phase is about 30 days, which is where the Lunar Cycle comes from (in fact, the orbital period is only about 27 and a half days, but because Earth has advanced in its orbit as well, the extra time is required for the Moon to move back to the same position from before, relative to an observer on Earth). The Moon doesn't actually pass through Earth's shadow on every orbit, so a Lunar Eclipse doesn't occur every 30 days. This is because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted in comparison to the Earth's orbit. Everything lines up to allow for an eclipse (called eclipse season) typically twice a year, so there should be at least two Lunar Eclipses per year (technically there can be more, but it doesn't happen very often).

Thanks for the explanation Australis. She's an engineer - what does she know?

I was just happy I realized that a total eclipse can only happen during the new moon. (I thinks that's were the conversation with DD started).

I have to ditto Lindsey's wow, wow, wow. Outstanding photos! I have only been to the southwest a few times but I always loved seeing the different topography. It is so very different from the steamy jungle here. Isn't there a bottle house on Sandia Crest in NM also? I think I remember seeing one there but I was sick as a dog (altitude) so my memory may be foggy.

DaisyI said:Thanks for the explanation Australis. She's an engineer - what does she know?

I was just happy I realized that a total eclipse can only happen during the new moon. (I thinks that's were the conversation with DD started).

You're welcome, Daisy! By the way, I'm an engineer, too I have an interest in astronomy and have studied astrophysics.

She is a Geotechnical engineer so only cares about what's under your feet.

I have to add two more photos at the insistence of my best friend who spent Eclipse Day watching the Weather Channel from the comfort of her livingroom sofa in South Lake Tahoe. She didn't even bother to get eclipse glasses!

Apparently I didn't know the significance of these photos (and still don't) but she assures me they are. Hmmm... Something about diamonds and beads. I'll let you decide...

Yes, you captured the "jewels" well. You must have had a filter for your camera. I never thought about ordering one until it was too late. We were only in the 99% range so there was enough sun showing to fry a lens. Luckily it was a cloudy day here so the camera did not cook.

Well done with the photos, Daisy!

The second one shows the "diamond ring effect" which occurs when the Moon is almost, but not completely, in front of the Sun. It makes for a beautiful moment.

The first appears to be at the peak of the eclipse. This is both a visually impressive and scientifically useful moment, as during totality the Moon blocks the Sun so that its corona (one of the outer layers of the Sun's atmosphere) can be seen and studied. If you have the right camera, you can make out wisps of plasma coming off the Sun's surface.

Daisy, surely you took the best pictures of anyone!!! I have never bothered with a proper set up knowing very well that others can do it a 1000 times better! You are that person!!
Perfect!!

Aw shucks! Thanks guys.

Here is a photo of my very professional lens: a dismantled pair of eclipse glasses, a paper towel tube and half a shower curtain grommet.

Here is a photo for Ursula. There are thousands of wild horses in the hills just to our east. I took this photo on Geiger Grade on the way to Virginia City.

wow Daisy...that's quite an amazing improvised set up ...Well done!
Don't those horses look fit and healthy..hard to believe that they are wild.

Great idea, love your paper town tube adaption. I am still kicking myself for not getting on the stick earlier and getting something to use as a filter.

I love that set up! It certainly worked well.
Thanks for the Wild Horses picture! They are beautiful!!